Shinra Special Infiltration Unit B: Outlaws
by Mako6
Summary: A side story to Final Fantasy 7 with some unexpected characters. I won't continue unless I get at least one review!:-)
1. Prologue

Many will remember, even after the plague of the Star Scar fever, the story of Cloud Strife and his brave friends who saved the planet. Years afterwards stories of their endeavors and victories, becoming more and more legendary as time passes, become favorite bed time stories for children and among those still old enough to remember those days.  
  
But there was another story, another group of heroes, at the same time as the group we know as AVALANCHE. Unlikely heroes, and equally as unknown, these five warriors were spawned from the heart of the group that caused all the terror to happen: Shinra Incorporated. This is their story.  
  
It was the same faithful night, and in the very same place as where Cloud, Barret and Tifa first infiltrated Shinra tower, that our heroes' story really begins. 


	2. Infiltration Into a Tower of Nightmares

Two voices echo in a dark, vertical air vent deep within the Shinra Tower.  
  
"So, Siro, are you gonna tell me what this mission is all about?" This first voice was odd sounding, as though it was computerized and accented with the sound of grinding gears. But the voice still had a human quality which made it very curious.  
  
"Huh?" responds another voice, male and more natural and flowing. Also it lacked the synthesized quality of the other.  
  
"Listen, you may have received the orders, but I am still higher rank here, Lieutenant."  
  
"Alright, alright, chill out, SPECIAL LIUETENANT Ramul" Laughed the other voice. "Listen, there's a grate here, lets get out of this damned hole and then I'll tell ya."  
  
Suddenly the air conditioning grate in one of the empty floor 62 hallways smashed out of its hinges and onto the carpeted floor with a loud clang.  
  
"Woops," said the second voice. "Guess I'm still not used to this Mako thing."  
  
"Just get out, your ass is in my face."  
  
A figure crawled nimbly from the small opening. It was a young man of light stature, but he moved as though he was much stronger then he looked. He wore the standard SOLDIER 2nd class uniform: Dark blue sleeveless shirt, armored belt and shoulders and of course the oversized sword: Hard Edge strapped onto his back. He wore a SOLDIER helmet that covered all his face but his mouth, which was grinning. His movements displayed a sort of tensed power, and the weight of the massive sword seemed not to hinder him. He stood, one hand on his hip, watching the grate through the visor of his helmet.  
  
Another figure now crawled from the vent, less nimbly though. This character was definitely much different then his companion, or any humans for that matter. His arms and legs were oddly long and his entire body was covered with red armor. His stance also gave off an air of power, but it looked more robotic and less human. The two green goggle-like eyes on his helmet only served to further give off an inhuman appearance.  
  
His name was Ramul, he was once a very prized Shinra mechanical engineer with intelligences in many varied areas, especially innovation and robotics. He invented a robot called the Air Buster, which he had hoped would make him rich. But he was injured in an explosion and was nearly killed. But Shinra cybernetically enhanced him and he became a Shinra Special Combatant, working to squelch a rebellion in Midgar. His wit and creativity earned him great respect and he was promoted to Senior Grunt. Although he is mostly human, he can't help thinking that Shinra has some sort of control over his robotic parts. He has a genuine distrust of almost everyone, especially since the accident, but he still puts complete faith in his young cohort, Siro.  
  
Siro, like Ramul, entered into Shinra and quickly accelerated through the ranks. He always wanted fame, to be noticed, to be another Sephiroth. He made it to SOLDIER just the month before and in that time managed to rise up to 2nd Class. Although he was very loyal to Shinra he always put the lives of the innocent civilians first.  
  
They seemed odd, standing side by side, but they were a special unit. Their exceeding skills in battle, tactics and above all stealth did not go unnoticed by Shinra and they were placed together in a reconnaissance and assassination team called the Shinra Special Infiltration Unit B, or SIU B. Regardless of difference in demeanor, rank and condition, Siro and Ramul soon became good friends and trusting partners.  
  
"So," said Ramul. "Mind telling me why we are breaking into our own facility using an air duct?"  
  
"Why, tired?"  
  
"I'm not designed to get tired anymore..."  
  
"Right.....Anways, HQ says that something's up," Siro said. "It's been three hours since anyone has had any radio communication with any floors above 62, and what's worse, someone messed up the elevator so no one can go up. Also, the president is up there."  
  
"And?"  
  
"They think there's some foul play involved," Siro shrugged. "Supposedly the last contact was from President Shinra himself, saying that they had caught a group of spies who were infiltrating the tower."  
  
"And?"  
  
"We aren't supposed to ask questions," Siro said in a mock disapproving voice. "Our job is to do what HQ says and look pretty." Ramul gave his equivalent of a laugh at this.  
  
"So how do you propose we go about this recon?" Ramul asked.  
  
"Stairs?"  
  
"Is that the best you can come up with?"  
  
Siro shrugged. "Wanna go back into the air duct?"  
  
"Don't you know anything? The air duct stops at the roof of this floor, there's no way to climb it all the way to 63."  
  
"Alright, then what do you suggest?"  
  
"Something much more dramatic......"  
  
Within ten minutes Siro and Ramul found themselves scaling the sheer outside wall of the Shinra tower, with nothing to keep them from plummeting thousands of feet down to the ground.  
  
"Why, exactly, are we doing this? There's stairs, Ramul!"  
  
"Quick promotion opportunity, now shut up and climb."  
  
At the window of the 63rd floor Ramul opened a window with his clawed hands and climbed inside, closely followed by Siro. They found themselves in a dark, empty meeting room. The chairs were stacked neatly on the sterile, steel table.  
  
"I didn't even know you can open these windows from the outside," Siro commented.  
  
"It's amazing what you learn in Shinra Engineering Academy."  
  
"No......it's just unsettling I guess." Siro stepped forward.  
  
"Wait!" Ramul suddenly barked. "Something's wrong....."  
  
"What's this now?" Asked Siro sounding confused, but stopping dead in his tracks.  
  
"Listen....." Ramul commanded.  
  
Siro waited for a few seconds, then said: "I don't hear nothing....."  
  
"Exactly," Ramul said, looking around cautiously. "Isn't it weird that in the busiest section of the Shinra Tower you would find complete silence?"  
  
"Yeah," said Siro nervously, slowly unsheathing his sword.  
  
"No, wait," Ramul said, urging Siro to sheathe the sword. "Let's go check it out."  
  
So they crossed the dark, empty conference room, to the door. Siro grabbed the handle, but froze; he felt something seriously wrong about this whole thing.  
  
"Maybe, we ought to report to HQ...." Siro suggested.  
  
"Let's just go," Ramul urged.  
  
Siro took a deep breath and opened the door. Suddenly something that was leaning against the door fell back onto his legs.  
  
"What-" Siro stopped and looked down. It was a suited Shinra businessman. He was dead, a long gash down the center of his rib cage.  
  
"What the hell?" Siro said, pushing the dead man to the floor, where his head fell with a sick thud. Ramul bent down to examine the still bleeding wound. Siro stepped out into the strangely dim hall.  
  
"This looks like a sword blade, from something really long and sharp."  
  
"Man, oh man," Commented Siro in a voice filled with anxiety and confusion. "Ramul, you got to come check this out!"  
  
Ramul stepped out and looked where Siro was looking. But it would not have mattered where he looked; because there were dead businessmen and staff littered all up and down the hall. Blood was stained in streaks on the walls, pooling on the floor, and even splattering the ceiling. Many of the ceiling lights were shattered, and the door across the hall looked like it had been ripped from its steel hinges and thrown down the hall with great force. Ramul had to back up a step in shock, but he nearly tripped over a dead man in doing so.  
  
"Okay, I got one...." Siro said, staring straight ahead. "I spy with my little eye, something dead and wearing a suit."  
  
"This doesn't look human, Siro," said Ramul. "What do we do?" 


	3. Ascent to Hojo's Laboratory

Siro considered for a moment. "Well," he said. "We're here, right?"  
  
"Yeah?"  
  
"Well, are we the Outlaws or not?" Siro said, in a voice that was almost challenging.  
  
"Yeah, let's keep going....."  
  
The name "Outlaws" was actually a name Ramul had come up with for their little unit. He justified it that: "Well, they won't have us anywhere else, right? I'm far too paranoid and you're far too concerned with the bystanders, so they put us here. That makes us outlaws." So this had been the unofficial name for Shinra Special Infiltration unit B ever since.  
  
"Here," said Siro. "I'll try to call up HQ."  
  
Ramul titled his head to one side. "You know, they loaded me up with hundreds of robotic features, some that don't even make sense. And they never bothered to install a communication radio to HQ in my helmet....."  
  
But Siro wasn't listening; his mouth was a concerned frown as he tapped the com button on the side of his helmet. Once, twice, three times.  
  
"No signal...." He said.  
  
Ramul looked around, the color of his goggles changing to a slightly darker green. "I'm seeing a lot of interference, looks like a heavy duty radio jammer..."  
  
Siro shrugged. "Look's like we're on our own."  
  
"Not the first time, we are the Outlaws after all."  
  
"So," said Siro. "What now?"  
  
"Well, since this is not human work," deducted Ramul. "And the only non- humans here are in the laboratories in the upper floors, we need to go up."  
  
"Stairs this time?" Siro pleaded.  
  
Ramul consented: "Why not, HQ doesn't care about us anyways."  
  
"Um....where?"  
  
"Honestly," said Ramul disapprovingly. "Haven't you ever been inside this tower?"  
  
Siro shook his head, Ramul laughed. "Guess it's a special engineer privilege."  
  
"But you're a senior grunt now, so shut up."  
  
"Har har."  
  
"So?" Asked Siro impatiently. "What way, Mr. Engineer?"  
  
Ramul said nothing; he started walking to the left, down the hall. Siro followed suit, making sure not to trip over any of the dead businessmen. All the time the two wondered, what did this, and more importantly, where were they now.  
  
"Stairs...." Said Ramul, pointing to the obvious staircase.  
  
"Yeah, no shit," said Siro. Suddenly he made a noise that sounded like he was choking. "Oh man, look at that!"  
  
Siro pointed to a red suited businessman who was impaled on the wall with the broken, steel leg of a table. He hung limply, head rolled to one side.  
  
"Now, that," remarked Siro. "Is bad decorating....."  
  
"You have a sick sense of humor," commented Ramul.  
  
"Hey, just trying to lighten the mood a bit."  
  
"We are the worst infiltration team alive," Ramul said suddenly. "You realize this?"  
  
"Everyone here's dead anyways......" Muttered Siro.  
  
"You're probably right."  
  
The pair climbed the stairs; nearly tripping over yet another Shinra businessman lying dead, face down on the first few steps.  
  
"I guess they're hiring now," said Siro. "I should apply."  
  
"Yeah," laughed Ramul. "Shinra Incorporated, get your dollar's worth of eternal damnation!"  
  
"Someone's testy....."  
  
"63rd floor," commented Ramul. "I have no idea what goes on here, but I hear it's a ridiculous waste of Shinra money."  
  
"Oh?"  
  
"Yeah," Ramul said. "Something to do with security doors and tokens......"  
  
"Trippy," said Siro. "Guess we keep going."  
  
They ran up to the next level.  
  
"64?" Enquired Siro. "What's this all about? It smells like ass."  
  
"Recreation center."  
  
"Let's get massages!'  
  
"Everyone's dead, remember."  
  
"I was jokin'!"  
  
They kept running up to level 65.  
  
Siro stopped and his entire body twitched for just a second. He clutched his head, but in a moment he was okay.  
  
"There's mako here, lots of it," he said, slightly out of breath.  
  
"And we come to another huge waste of Shinra Gil," Ramul said. "Apparently there's a giant model of Midgar made totally out of materia."  
  
"That's crap!" Exclaimed Siro. "We don't even get paid and they have a materia statue of Midgar!"  
  
"We're military, we don't need pay," Ramul said, sounding slightly like a brochure. "Shinra provides us with food, shelter and all necessities."  
  
"Keep talking like that and they'll make a materia statue of you soon."  
  
"I hope not....."  
  
At this they ascended another flight of stairs, finding themselves on floor 66.  
  
"This is where all the really important people meet," Ramul said.  
  
"Like Heidegger and all of them?"  
  
"Yeah," Ramul said, turning his head to the right. "This place is actually pretty secure. I'm still surprised whatever did this got through all the security......never mind."  
  
"Let's keep on going."  
  
They continued on but Ramul stopped at floor 67.  
  
"This is it," he said.  
  
"What's what?"  
  
"This is where Hojo's lab is," Ramul responded. "We might find some clues and-"  
  
"What?"  
  
"Shhh....." Ramul's lenses began glowing red as he used his heat sensors. He suddenly straightened up, nearly causing Siro to trip over a gruesomely murdered Shinra employee.  
  
"What!?"  
  
"There's something in the lab," Ramul said. "Something alive."  
  
Before Siro could stop him Ramul took off down the hall towards the lab. With no alternative, Siro raced after him. They came to the corner and turned into the crate filled laboratory. 


	4. The Discovery and the Betrayal

Ramul stopped dead in his tracks. Siro ran bodily into him.  
  
"HEY!" He shouted. "What's going on her....."  
  
But Siro froze as well. His mouth hung open as he and his partner looked into the eyes of a ghost.  
  
"S-Sephiroth?" Stammered Ramul.  
  
"But......he's supposed to be dead!"  
  
But sure enough there he stood; his silver hair blowing in a wind no one else could feel. Blood dripped from the terrible sword he held at his side and from the hem of his dark cape. His mako eyes were cruel and remorseless. Siro could do nothing but stare, but Ramul took the time to survey the surroundings.  
  
More Shinra personnel, wearing lab coats, lay dead around the laboratory. But they were freshly killed; some were still gasping for air or twitching with death throws. But the interesting thing was what lay at Sephiroth's booted feet.  
  
It had come, clearly, from what was left of a stasis tank right next to Sephiroththat had been shattered by an obvious force. The thing looked clearly humanoid, with two arms and two legs. But it seemed to be missing its head. It was a pale blue color, like someone who has frozen to death, and it seemed to have markings and appendages that could not be named or identified.  
  
Sephiroth suddenly spoke, wrenching Ramul from his observations.  
  
"Look at you...." His voice was cold and determined. "You are just experiments, violated by technology. I need not shed your tainted blood."  
  
At this he bent down and picked up the strange form from the ground and slung it over his armored shoulder. Then he turned, causing his black cape to billow around him. Ramul and Siro were frozen as he walked swiftly across the room, to the elevator.  
  
Ramul suddenly snapped back to reality. "Siro, what are we waiting for?"  
  
Ramul took off, and, as usual Siro could do nothing to stop him. He chased after him.  
  
"Are you insane?" He shouted. "We should leave while we're still alive!"  
  
"An infiltration team never leaves a job unfinished!"  
  
"You are out of your mind!"  
  
"And you're following me."  
  
They reached the elevator but it was too late, Sephiroth was gone. They pressed the button and waited.  
  
"What do you intend to do when we catch up to him?" Siro asked. "Arrest him?"  
  
"Well, he's died once," Ramul, said. "He can die again."  
  
DING  
  
"If you say so...."  
  
"Just get in the elevator."  
  
They rode up to the next level. The sense of dread seemed to be getting stronger again but neither said anything.  
  
DING  
  
"68th floor," said Siro. "Casual evening wear, long dead SOLDIERS, ladies' intimate apparel"  
  
This coaxed a light chuckle from Ramul, but it had died by the time the doors slid open.  
  
They stepped out and into the large and well-lit expanse of floor 68. They looked around.  
  
"He's gone...."  
  
Sure enough the room was empty and free of oddities but for two things: there was a shattered containment tank to the right and......  
  
"A trail of blood?" Siro pointed to the ground. There was a clear trail of blood where Sephiroth's soaked cape had dragged along the ground behind him.  
  
"Then let's follow it," said Ramul, walking along the right side of the gruesome trail.  
  
"Wait!"  
  
"Not this again......"  
  
"No, I'm getting a signal from HQ."  
  
"Put it on intercom."  
  
Siro clicked the side of his helmet and a tinny mechanized voice filled the room.  
  
"SIU UNIT B......SIU UNIT B.......MISSION SUCCESSFUL. SOURCE OF PROBLEM IDENTIFIED AS A REBEL GAS BOMB IN THE AIR SYSTEM.....RETURN TO YOUR POST IMMEDIATELY....REPEAT MISSION ACCOMP-"  
  
"What?!" cried Ramul. "What gas bomb?"  
  
"You heard them," said Siro, his voice sounding oddly strained. "Let's get out of here."  
  
"You saw him!" Yelled Ramul. "There is no gas bomb! It's a cover-up."  
  
"So?" Siro's voice was almost a whisper. "We don't have a say here, let's go!"  
  
"No, I can't let Sephiroth get away what he's done here!"  
  
At this Ramul sped off across the room following the trail. Siro, though with much more reluctance, took off after him.  
  
"Ramul!" He yelled.  
  
But Ramul kept running, he reached the stairs and ran to floor 69. Siro followed, nearly slipping on the trail of blood that painted the stairs. He caught up and grabbed for his partner's arm, but he turned a corner and Siro fell behind again.  
  
They ran through a door and the hallway widened into a massive room with two staircases on either side leading to the top story. Siro looked up and saw a black caped figure walk just out of sight. Ramul ran to the foot of the stairs but suddenly-  
  
CRASH! CRASH! CRASH!  
  
Three of the windows above the stairs shattered and the sound of many propellers was heard. As Ramul and Siro watched, six air combatants, three of them carrying SOLDIER 3rd classes, flew in through the broken window and dropped directly in Siro and Ramul's path.  
  
The front most SOLDIER stepped forward and said:  
  
"Special Infiltration Unit B, we are under orders to apprehend you for disobeying a direct command from Headquarters."  
  
"What?" Ramul shouted in outrage. "But Sephiroth is here, he is going to the upper story, that is where the president is!"  
  
The SOLDIER dropped his professional manner for a moment and said: "What? Sephiroth? But..." He shook his head. "The president has been killed in the gas bombing, it's very unfortunate. As for Sephiroth, I do not believe he could be here, as he is dead."  
  
"You seem pretty sure of yourself for a 3rd class." Ramul said.  
  
"We are under direct orders to apprehend you for disobeyin-"  
  
"Yeah, I know!" Ramul said. "Siro, don't ask questions, but grab onto my back."  
  
Siro, confused enough to comply, did so. Before any of the military blocking the way could react Ramul pressed a button on his armored forearm and suddenly shot up in the air, propelled by jets on his feet.  
  
Ramul and Siro landed at the top of the stairs and took off after Sephiroth.  
  
"HEY!" Shouted the SOLDIER 3rd class. "Aw, man. HQ isn't going to like this one bit! There goes my promotion..."  
  
Meanwhile, Ramul and Siro arrived in the massive presidential office at the top story of Shinra tower. Sephiroth was nowhere to be seen, but his mark was left behind. The president, once the leader of all of Shinra, lay dead on his desk, impaled on a seven foot long sword: the Masamune.  
  
"Too late...." Siro said, still in somewhat of a shock.  
  
"Maybe not!" Ramul said, before sprinting towards the door leading to the roof of the tower.  
  
Siro gave a quick shrug and took off in the same direction. He was starting to regret having woken up that morning at all.  
  
Siro found Ramul, not surprisingly, alone on the roof.  
  
"How?"  
  
"Look, let's just go back and explain this whole thing to HQ, they'll understand."  
  
Ramul suddenly walked to the edge of the roof and looked down at the road below.  
  
"Oh, they'll understand alright," Ramul said.  
  
Siro walked to join him and looked down. Even with his only slightly advanced vision, it was clear that there was something major going on. There were Shinra police cars surrounding the building entirely and transports began showing up and unloading military of every kind. There was a distinctive vehicle being started up in the back of a trailer.  
  
"That's a Heli gunner!" Said Siro. "But I thought this was supposed to be a search and rescue mission."  
  
"This is no ordinary operation," said Ramul. "It's-"  
  
"A cover-up!" Finished Siro. "And we saw what really happened. That makes us targets!"  
  
"You're starting to get it."  
  
"What do we do?"  
  
"I got a plan."  
  
Within a few minutes the two found themselves wedged in a cabinet in the president's office.  
  
"So you're logic here is...." asked Siro in an aggravated whisper.  
  
"A philosopher once said: 'the closer we are to danger, the further we are from harm.'"  
  
"I did not wake up expecting this."  
  
"Well, what can you do?"  
  
"If we get out of this I want to get plastered-ass drunk at the Sector 3 Fallen Angel."  
  
"I'll buy," said Ramul.  
  
"Promise?"  
  
"Shh, I hear something."  
  
Sure enough there was a sound coming from the room, footsteps.  
  
"Think it's the SOLDIERS?"  
  
"SHH!"  
  
A low male voice suddenly spoke from the room. "He's dead, the leader of Shinra Inc. is dead...."  
  
Another voice, female this time: "Sephiroth?"  
  
Yet another voice, male: "Look's like it, this is his sword."  
  
Then another sound, distinctively mechanical, echoed through the room, covering up the sound of the other people in the room. It was the sound of a helicopter, the president's helicopter.  
  
"Rufus...." Siro said to himself. He tried to straighten up, but Ramul put a hand on his shoulder.  
  
"Hold on, I'll check." Ramul's eyes glowed red as he surveyed the room for heat.  
  
"Okay, it looks good." Ramul opened the door and he and Siro stepped out. Sure enough the inhabitants of the room had left.  
  
"So, should we go help out Rufus?" Asked Siro.  
  
"Are you joking?" Ramul asked. "We need to find a way to escape from here without getting spotted!"  
  
"Actually, I was joking."  
  
"Oh, well you suck."  
  
"So does your mom."  
  
Ramul slapped his forehead and took off towards the door. But before he could reach it something stumbled in, clutching its arm.  
  
It was the SOLDIER from the stairs. Only he looked badly beat up, with a gash down his chest and a broken arm. He tried to straighten up when he saw the two but had to clutch his broken arm again in pain.  
  
"My orders-are to take-you back to..." He gasped in pain and passed out on the floor.  
  
"Hmm...." Said Siro. "Look's like we aren't the only outlaws in this tower. So what do we do with him?"  
  
"Leave him...wait look!"  
  
A figure was running towards the door to the roof. Assuming the worst and taking advantage of any and all hiding places, Ramul grabbed Siro and jetted up into the ceiling vent, smashing the grate in the process.  
  
"OW!" Siro said, rubbing his head.  
  
"SH!"  
  
The two watched as a strange blonde man ran by underneath them.  
  
"Hm," said Ramul. "Guess it wasn't Rufus. Still blonde though."  
  
"Looked familiar...." Siro said.  
  
They listened as the helicopter outside flew away. They were confused but even more annoyed with hiding.  
  
"Let's go down."  
  
They dropped back down to the floor, becoming, by now, sufficiently sick of the entire tower. They turned back to the door and started towards it.  
  
"Ow..." The SOLDIER on the ground twitched.  
  
"Oh come the pie on!" Cried Siro. "Can anything else please go wrong?!"  
  
The young SOLDIER stood up shakily. Siro and Ramul prepared to attack him and put him back into submission when they heard another peculiar noise. It was the sound of feet, but they were synchronized.  
  
"It's the MPs," Ramul said. "Lot's of them."  
  
"Oh I had to open my mouth," Siro said, slapping his helmeted forehead.  
  
The SOLDIER saw them and began stumbling towards them: "I am under orders to-"  
  
"YEAH!" Shouted Siro. "I KNOW!!!"  
  
"Let's go!" Said Ramul. "They are almost here!"  
  
The two ran out onto the roof.  
  
"So, um, what are we achieving by being here, um, on the ROOF!?" Asked Siro.  
  
"Just let me think," said Ramul with a hint of desperation. "Hey, what's that?"  
  
Ramul walked over to the thing he was gesturing to. It was a black furry shape lying motionless against the wall of the building. Siro walked over to examine it.  
  
"That's Dark Nation!" Said Siro. "Rufus' pet."  
  
"You sure?"  
  
"Yeah, don't see many black Blood Tastes, do you?"  
  
"Look's pretty messed up...."  
  
"Is he dead?" 


	5. A Narrow Escape and a Well Earned Drink

"I think so....." Ramul bent down to examine the wounded animal more closely. "Still breathing, but just barely. It needs to get this cut treated, though, as soon as possible. And its leg is broken. Siro?"  
  
But Siro wasn't listening; he was looking in the glass doors leading back into the president's office.  
  
"Um, Ramul," he said. "I think we have far greater problems."  
  
Sure enough, the office had filled with MPs and military units.  
  
"Crap," said Ramul. "Hide!"  
  
"Too late."  
  
The doors opened and MPs ran out, followed closely by the wounded SOLDIER.  
  
The highest-ranking MP spotted them and said: "We are under orders to apprehend you for deliberately resisting arrest!"  
  
"There's no way out of this one, Ramul," said Siro.  
  
"We'll just cut right through them!" Said Ramul, getting into combat position.  
  
"We anticipated this," said the MP. He turned to one of his colleagues and said: "Notify Air units three through seven and have them assist!"  
  
"Yes sir," said the other MP. He pulled out a communicator and spoke into it. "Targets located on the roof of the tower. This is Military Police unit 7, requesting assistance from Air Combatant teams three, four, five, six and seven ASAP."  
  
"Oh splendid," said Siro, shaking his head. "'Why don't we just cut through them?' I should really stop hanging out with you."  
  
But Ramul shook his head. "I got a plan, but it's crazy. Just follow my lead on my mark."  
  
The communicator held in the MP's hand responded. "Military Police unit 7, Air Combatant units have been dispatched to your location."  
  
Sure enough the sound of propellers was heard from the side of the building. Growing increasingly louder until it filled the night with noise. Suddenly, as the volume peaked, countless Air Combatants shot up from below and surrounded the roof.  
  
"Don't you think this is a bit much?" Asked Siro scathingly to the MP. "I mean there's got to be over thirty Air Combatants here!"  
  
"Our orders are to apprehend you. If you resist you will be eliminated."  
  
"Great! Just great!" Siro turned to Ramul. "So what's you plan now, Special Lieutenant?"  
  
"Just get ready to move really fast."  
  
By now the units had Siro, Ramul and the unconscious Blood Taste completely surrounded. The circle moved in slowly, the MPs drew their guns.  
  
"See those two Air Combatants just at 1:00?" whispered Ramul.  
  
"Yeah?"  
  
"You take the right one," Ramul said. "I'll take the left. We'll escape by air."  
  
"Right....." Said Siro.  
  
"Ready?"  
  
"Sure."  
  
"MARK!"  
  
In one swift movement Siro and Ramul, who had slung Dark Nation over one shoulder, dashed forward. Were darting across the gap between them and the two floating Air Combatants. Their speed and sudden change from defense to offense caught all their attackers off guard. By the time that poorly aimed guns started firing Siro and Ramul had left two broken and battered Air Combatant units lying on the floor and were sprinting to the edge of the roof.  
  
"They're getting away!" Yelled the injured SOLDIER. "Shoot them!"  
  
But it was too late; Siro and Ramul had launched themselves off the side of the roof. As they flew forwards they held up their newest acquisitions, propellers, and flipped them on. Gunshots fired after them as they flew across the polluted sky.  
  
"Remind me never ever to listen to you again," said Siro.  
  
"We're not dead, are we?"  
  
"Not yet..."  
  
"Well, let's head that way," Ramul pointed his clawed hand to the northeast. "Towards Sector 3."  
  
"Yeah..." Siro said. "Hey, why do we now have a pet?"  
  
"Dunno," said Ramul. "Seemed like a good idea at the time."  
  
"Dude," said Siro. "I am gonna need to get so plastered before I can deal with any of this."  
  
"Done and done."  
  
As expected their escape had been so unexpected, and their initial leap so powerful, that the Shinra troops could do nothing to time to pursue them. But soon MPs and SOLDIERs were dispatched throughout the city to search for the two. In less then an hour, SIU unit B had gone from being Shinra employees, to being on the most wanted list. They were now really the Outlaws.  
  
Elsewhere, in Ramul's small apartment in Sector 3, Siro and Ramul were tending to Dark Nation.  
  
"There," said Ramul, tying off a bandage around the animals cut ribs. "That should stop the bleeding."  
  
"I just found another reason why we should have left Dark Nation," said Siro bitterly.  
  
Ramul sighed. "Okay shoot."  
  
"He's going to wake up, and kill us."  
  
"That's not a new reason, that's just an addendum to your other reason that he's a vicious animal."  
  
"But still, I don't want to be devoured."  
  
"Listen," said Ramul. "I've heard about Dark Nation. He's an experiment, like us, he has a much more intelligent brain then other Blood Tastes."  
  
"So, he's going to wake up, study calculus, then kill us," said Siro. "I'm not liking this."  
  
"No," said Ramul impatiently. "Listen, I'm sure he'll know that we mean well."  
  
"You seem keen on trusting a hunch," said Siro.  
  
"And you seem keen on trusting your bad luck."  
  
"Well, it is pretty bad!"  
  
"Noted," Ramul stood up. "Well, while we're wanted and everyone wants to kill us, there's still one safe place we can go to get a drink."  
  
"The Fallen Angel!" Cheered Siro. "Aria, she'll make today better for sure!"  
  
"Your so pussy whipped, dude," Ramul laughed.  
  
"Hey, shut up!" Siro exclaimed. "I don't see your girlfriend around here."  
  
"That's because she needs space," said Ramul touchily.  
  
"Yeah," said Siro. "But she lives in Cosmo Canyon, like a thousand miles away. That's not space, bro, that's distance."  
  
"So we have some problems to work out-" Ramul shook his head. "Whatever, man. Let's just go and drink a lot."  
  
"What about the cat?"  
  
"It'll be fine," Ramul said. "I tranquilized it."  
  
"Ah."  
  
So the two walked out and onto the street. It wasn't much, but it wasn't as poor as the slums. They walked down the street, staying out of the streetlights just in case.  
  
"I would say it's a beautiful night," said Ramul. "But the sky is a huge metal plate, so I couldn't really tell you for sure."  
  
"Are you trying to be all romantic on me?" asked Siro. "Cause I don't swing that way."  
  
"Har har," Said Ramul. "Wait, did you hear that?"  
  
"You worry too much," said Siro. "Let me guess, the plate is gonna fall on us."  
  
"No," said Ramul. "Someone's following us....."  
  
Siro looked behind them and down the dimly light street.  
  
Siro shook his head. "I don't see nothing."  
  
"Well, whatever," said Ramul. "We're here."  
  
They arrived at a small building with a mako lit sign in the front saying "The Fal-en A-gel." Several letters were burnt out, but warm light shone from the dirty windows.  
  
They stepped inside; the bar was warm and well lit. It was empty but for a few people passed out on the small round tables that sat about the room. There was a bar at the far side of the room, a girl had her back to them and was cleaning glasses in the sink. Siro and Ramul walked up and sat down.  
  
"Something really strong," said Siro, grinning. "And a kiss."  
  
The girl turned around. She was beautiful, too beautiful; it seems, to be working in a seedy bar near the slums. She smiled and her intensely green eyes seemed to glow as she looked on the two. She brushed he shoulder length blonde hair behind her ear and stepped up to the bar.  
  
"Siro!" She said. "You're late! I was so worried!"  
  
"Heh," Siro scratched the back of his neck. "Sorry about that, Aria."  
  
The girl, Aria, turned to Ramul. "Siro got you lost, didn't he?"  
  
"Actually, not this time."  
  
"So," she said, putting her hands on her hips. "What took you then? How was the mission?"  
  
Ramul shook his head and looked down at the bar and said: "I think we need drinks first, bring something strong."  
  
She smiled and turned to the bottles on the back wall.  
  
Siro leaned over to Ramul. "So, uh... What do we tell her?"  
  
"The truth, I guess."  
  
"Are you crazy?"  
  
"Yeah, pretty much."  
  
Aria came back to the bar with two small glasses full of clear liquid. Her smile turned into a small frown when she saw Siro's serious frown.  
  
"What's wrong?"  
  
"Listen, Aria," said Siro. "Could you close early and lock the doors please?"  
  
She looked as though she was about to ask a question, but then she got a determined look on her face and said in a loud voice: "Alright, we're closing early for tonight. Go home or wherever you people go."  
  
The drunks started mumbling mutinously, but they departed. Aria walked to the door and turned on the closed sign before locking the door. She walked back to the bar and turned to Siro.  
  
"Could you take off that helmet? I want to see your eyes," she said.  
  
"Yeah," said Siro. "Not really my eyes but...."  
  
He opened the clasp of his helmet and took it off.  
  
This is where I can use some help from anyone who might be reading this fic. What do *you * think Siro should look like under his helmet? I might need suggestions, or might just wanna see if anyone really reads this fic... So um, review and tell me your opinions on this controversial matter. So um yeah 


	6. Uninvited guest

Siro lifted off his helmet and set it down on the bar, shaking his head and running a hand through his hair.  
  
Aria had always loved his dusty brown hair; he wore his bangs long so that his eyes peered out through a screen of hair. His face was squared and chiseled, the face of a soldier, but his eyes were large like the eyes of a child. They glimmered the green of Mako. Clearly this was what Siro meant about them not being "his" eyes. But Aria still looked sternly into them.  
  
"Of course they're your eyes," said Aria.  
  
"I dunno," said Siro, grinning a bit as he shrugged. "I could've stolen them."  
  
"You're terrible," Aria said, hitting him playfully on the arm.  
  
Siro's eyes turned more serious as he looked at her. "Listen," he said. "I don't want you to worry about me, cause you do this thing with your eyes and-"  
  
"Just shut up and tell the story, Siro," said Ramul.  
  
"Alright," Siro said. And he did. He told the whole story. As he had anticipated, Aria's eyes were filled with worry as she looked at him; he couldn't look into those big sad eyes.  
  
"You see!" exclaimed Siro in exasperation as he gestured wildly at Aria. "I told you! She does the eye thing and makes me feel all guilty and shit!" Ramul started laughing at this.  
  
Aria was not amused, though. Her mouth turned down into a little frown and she said: "Siro Rathunis! This isn't a laughing matter! You two could have died!"  
  
Siro downed another drink and said: "It's always good to be able to laugh at your situation, cause when you can't find a reason to laugh, you know that there's no point in really living at all."  
  
Ramul turned and looked at him. "Dude did you see that on a bumper sticker?"  
  
Siro stomped his foot: "Hell no, I made that one up all on my own!"  
  
"Hey!" said Aria, still looking impatient and disapproving. "I think we had better come up with a plan before we argue over something stupid!"  
  
"Here's a plan," said Siro. "More alcohol!"  
  
"I concur," agreed Ramul, nodding. "Eventually we'll be so plastered that Shinra won't have to kill us.'  
  
Ramul and Siro attempted a high five, missing terribly. Aria slapped her forehead.  
  
"Do either of you care what happens to you?"  
  
"Course we care," said Siro. "We just don't really see any point in worrying about it."  
  
"Do you know how I would feel if you were killed?" Aria said, standing up and pointing at Siro. Her eyes were suddenly shimmering a bit too much.  
  
This one hit Siro. He grabbed her and held her to him. "Listen," Siro said. "We promise we won't die, okay?"  
  
"Promise?" Aria's voice cracked slightly. "It's just, it's already so hard when you two are gone, I couldn't imagine-"  
  
"Don't worry," Siro said, looking into her eyes. "We'll come up with something okay?"  
  
"Well," said Ramul, his voice suddenly very serious. "Two things are certain: firstly we can't stay here in Midgar any longer, secondly we have to do whatever we're doing right away."  
  
"Why this sudden change of spirit, Ramul?" Asked Siro.  
  
"Because there are suddenly lots of Shinra radio transmitions soaring around." Siro noticed now that the shade of Ramul's goggles had darkened as he scanned for radio waves. "There's definitely some sort of large scale search going on."  
  
"Couldn't it be for those other guys who were in the tower, or maybe even Sephiroth?" asked Siro hopefully.  
  
"It doesn't matter," said Ramul, shaking his head. "Regardless of who they are searching for, Shinra is out in force, and they won't hesitate to apprehend us even if we aren't their current target."  
  
"Ah," said Siro. "Noted."  
  
"Then I'm coming with you!" Said Aria.  
  
"I can't let you!" Said Siro, shaking his head. "I don't want to put you into any danger."  
  
"I'm already in danger every day!" Aria said, gesticulating at the room. "This isn't a safe part of town, you know. And what if the plate comes down, like it did on sector 7? Then what?"  
  
"She has a point, Siro," said Ramul, pouring more drinks behind the bar.  
  
Siro turned his head to one side. "Yeah, alright," he said. "But if the going gets too tough, then I want you to go somewhere safe."  
  
"Siro!" She said, stomping her foot. "Quit pretending I can't look out for myself." At this she gestured to something mounted on the wall.  
  
It was a bow, crafted from strong metal. It looked state of the art, especially with the two linked Materia slots built into the handle. It had been a gift from her father, who traveled the world selling weapons. She rarely needed to use it, but whenever there was a situation where she was in trouble (and like it or not, she sometimes was) she could use the bow to its fullest.  
  
Siro laughed sheepishly. "Alright," he said. "I guess you're right. Besides, it'll be good to have you along."  
  
"Softie," said Ramul, passing him and Aria glasses of the liquid.  
  
Aria pushed the glass away. "No," she said, shaking her head. "We're leaving tonight, and I want to be at my fullest!"  
  
"Alright, Ms. Adventurer," Siro said, accepting his drink. "But I don't wanna be thirsty.'  
  
"Ms. Adventurer?" Said Aria. "Oddly appropriate..."  
  
Siro started laughing at this and Aria joined in. But suddenly Ramul held up a clawed hand. His goggles were glowing red and he was staring, motionless, at the door.  
  
Siro lowered his voice. "What's up?'  
  
"Company..." And at this the door smashed open.  
  
"Oh dear gods," said Siro, as he saw who it was. "There's a fine line between persistence and being god damned annoying!"  
  
It was the SOLDIER 3rd Class from Shinra tower. He had, obviously, followed them all this way. His arm now hung uselessly at his side and one of his shoulder pads had broken off. He was panting and out of breath, but now posed proudly and said:  
  
"You two are under arrest under orders from Shinra high command, you have the right to remain silent."  
  
"Under what charges," said Ramul, taking a furtive step towards the SOLDIER.  
  
"Resisting arrest," the SOLDIER said, ticking off his fingers. "Assaulting a Shinra officer, stealing and operating Air Combatant gear, resisting arrest..."  
  
Siro sighed as the list went on and on. But he noticed something; Ramul was moving very slowly towards the door, behind the SOLDIER. The SOLDIER, too busy remembering charges, did not notice.  
  
The SOLDIER's voice peaked in enthusiasm as he said: "And assisting in a mass murder of Shinra personnel!"  
  
"Bullshit!" Yelled Siro. "We weren't even there until everyone was dead already. HQ can confirm it, they sent us!"  
  
"I'm not here to ask anything," said the SOLDIER. "I'm here to arrest you!"  
  
"Your arm looks pretty bad," said Aria softly.  
  
"I-um," the SOLDIER's pose became less aggressive for a moment. "I was attacked by a band of terrorists within the tower. But that's not important..."  
  
"What's you name?" Asked Siro for the sheer purpose of distracting the SOLDIER another few seconds.  
  
"My name is Aloden...hey wait!" He shook his head. "Why am I talking to you? I need to report this"  
  
The SOLDIER clicked the side of his helmet. "Headquarters, this is-"  
  
And that is all that he said, because in an instant Siro had crossed the room and hit Aloden with an uppercut so hard that it knocked off his damaged helmet. The SOLDIER 3rd Class did a full back flip with the force of the blow before landing hard on his stomach.  
  
"Woops!" Said Siro with a tone of embarrassment. "Once again, I really need to get a hang of this Mako thing."  
  
"Is he...dead?" Aria asked. To answer her question, the young man twitched and started to raise himself up off his chest.  
  
"Oh, no," said Ramul, slapping his head. "I don't think he knows how to die."  
  
"Not till he gets promoted," Siro said, stepping back into attack position.  
  
"Ow," said the SOLDIER, lifting himself onto his knees. He was young, very young. By the look of his lean, child-like face the boy could not have been a day over sixteen. His left eye was swollen shut from an earlier blow, but the other eye was abnormally large and glowed with Mako. He shook his long, brown hair free from where it was stuck in his collar and stood up shakily.  
  
"I guess I should've expected a fight," the boy said, rubbing his chin, which had a bleeding cut on it. "So...have at you!" Aloden reached for his Shinra Hardedge with his good hand. He got it out and extended it at Siro.  
  
THWACK Ramul knocked Aloden on the top of the head with his oversized hand. As expected, the SOLDIER went down and stayed down: out cold.  
  
"Well," said Ramul. "It won't be long before they find out where we are."  
  
"So what do we do?" Asked Aria, watching the unconscious SOLDIER intently.  
  
"We need to leave," said Siro, putting back on his helmet. "Right now." 


	7. An unexpected party member and some leat...

Side Note: Would be ever so nice to get reviews from people I do not know personally. I actually don't know if anyone is reading this story besides two of my LOYAL friends. Oh you know who you are. Anyways, on with the story  
  
Within thirty minutes the three had left the bar (a "closed for a really long time" sign now hung on the door) and were now outside the door to Ramul's apartment.  
  
"You look very...suspicious," Siro said to Aria. And she did. She had left her bar outfit behind and now wore her "fighting clothes". These were skintight black leather, with straps, metal buckles and very threatening boots. To top this all off she wore her bow strapped onto her back. She had tied her hair back and now slinked along like a ninja through the dark night, quite possible attracting more attention then she would have were she on fire.  
  
"Shut up," she said. "I can't do any sneaking or fighting in my dress can I?"  
  
"Where the hell did you get that anyways?" asked Ramul.  
  
"Gift from Daddy," she responded brightly.  
  
"I swear to god," said Siro. "If he didn't raise you I would say that he was a bad influence on you."  
  
"Whatever," she said. "Ramul, did you find your keys?"  
  
Ramul, who had been digging through the compartments of his gloves, finally pulled out a battered key with triumph. He fit it into the keyhole and opened the door.  
  
He was greeted by a loud snarl and before he knew what was happening he was smashed down the stairs by a sleek, black blur.  
  
Ramul now lay on his back, pinned down by Dark Nation, who bared his fangs, snarling viciously.  
  
"I thought you gave him enough tranquilizer!" shouted Siro, jumping down the stairs to assist Ramul. "I'm never listening to you again."  
  
"Just shut up and help me!" Ramul yelled.  
  
"WHO?!" the cry was loud and harsh, and it came from Dark Nation. All present froze in confusion.  
  
"What?" said Aria. "You didn't say he could talk!"  
  
"Um..." Siro said dumbly. "We-uh-didn't know?"  
  
"WHY?!" the shouts were slurred but clearly very angry. The creature shook its head in a frustrated sort of anger. But suddenly he sniffed the air and looked down at Ramul inquisitively.  
  
"Remember smell," Dark Nation said, his voice softer and slightly harder to understand. "You help?"  
  
"Yeah!" said Ramul. "Killing us would be very not good!"  
  
"Thank you," said Dark Nation, backing off.  
  
Ramul sat up and looked at the animal, suddenly very curious. "His powers of deduction are phenomenal!"  
  
"He *is * a lab rat, Ramul," said Siro, still in a tensed position. "He isn't a normal animal."  
  
"Where Rufus?" asked Dark Nation. "Dead?"  
  
It was Aria's turn to talk now, it seemed she had some sort of plan and chose her words very carefully. "Rufus has abandoned you, Dark Nation," she said. "We are friends."  
  
"Friends?" it asked, bewildered.  
  
"Yes," she said. "And we could use your help."  
  
"Wait, wait!" Said Siro. "You're not thinking-"  
  
"Want help!" said Dark Nation, now starting to look a lot like a giant puppy in his mannerisms. "You help, I help!"  
  
"This is a poor idea," said Siro.  
  
"No, it's a good idea," said Aria. "Otherwise the poor thing has nowhere to go, and it could help us."  
  
"She has a point," said Ramul.  
  
Siro smacked his forehead. "Man, what a weird night..." he backed down. "Alright, he can come along, but can we at least pretend we aren't waltzing around with the pet of the president's son?"  
  
"We can rename him," said Ramul, shrugging. Dark Nation peered around curiously, not looking nearly as vicious as he used to.  
  
"You're right, Dark Nation's too hard to say anyways," said Siro.  
  
"How about 'Shadow'" asked Aria. She bent down fearlessly and patted the Blood Taste on his head. "You like that name? Shadow?"  
  
"Shadow?" asked Dark Nation. "Name?"  
  
"Exactly," Aria said. "We'll call you Shadow."  
  
"What about the fact that he is obviously Rufus' pet?" asked Siro incredulously.  
  
"We'll cross that bridge when we come to it," said Aria, standing up.  
  
"Man, that's so not how it works at all!" said Siro. "Well, whatever."  
  
"Well," said Ramul, standing up and brushing himself off. "I'll go get provisions and what not." He walked inside.  
  
Shadow looked up at Siro. "You Siro?" he asked.  
  
"Yeah," said Siro, grinning a bit in spite of himself.  
  
"Me Shadow," said Shadow.  
  
"And I'm Aria," Aria said, smiling brightly. "Pleased to meet you."  
  
"Me help?"  
  
"Yeah," said Siro, scratching the back of his neck. "We'll take care of you."  
  
Ramul walked out, carrying two full simple military backpacks. "Here," he said, tossing one at Siro.  
  
"Oof," Siro caught it. "So, what's our plan? All the exits of the city are monitored."  
  
"Don't worry," said Ramul, tapping his metal head. "It's all up here."  
  
"Well, whatever," said Siro. "But if it's like any of your other brilliant plans I think-"  
  
"Wait!" said Aria nervously. "Look over there!"  
  
She pointed down the street where three forms were seen walking under a streetlight. They were MP's, dressed in the simple red uniform of Shinra. By the time they got to Ramul's apartment there was no one on the porch.  
  
"Man, first those reactors blow and then the plate falls, now this?" One MP said in an annoyingly high voice.  
  
"I dunno, but why are we bothering to look for these Ex-Shinras?" Another responded.  
  
The four could hear the MP's clearly as they walked by from their hiding place under the porch.  
  
"Okay, enquiry," whispered Siro. "Ramul, why didn't we just go inside?"  
  
"Shhh!" said Ramul.  
  
"Why hide?" asked Shadow curiously.  
  
"SHHHH!"  
  
"Hey, did you hear something?" said the third MP.  
  
"Not a damned thing," responded the second. "I'm sick of this, its ridiculous. Like looking for a chocobo feather in a hay stack!"  
  
"I'm bored, let's go get a drink."  
  
"Noted."  
  
"Hey," whispered Siro. "That's my phrase."  
  
The four waited under the porch until it all looked clear. Ramul's goggles switched to heat sensor and he waved that it was okay.  
  
"Well," said Siro. "Looks like we know who they're looking for now."  
  
"Let's go," said Ramul, taking off into the alley by the side of his house. Aria and Siro followed him into the dark.  
  
"C'mon Shadow!" Said Aria.  
  
"KAY!" shouted Shadow with a bit too much excitement. And he took off after them. 


	8. The Picnic: an Oddly Peaceful Moment

"And so we find ourselves, as usual, crammed into some small, dark place." This was spoken by Siro, who couldn't even see in the darkness that was the back of a covered cargo truck.  
  
"Hey, shut up back there," said the driver in a hushed voice. "We're almost at the security check.  
  
It had taken Siro, Aria, Ramul and Shadow nearly two hours to reach sector 4. They had spent as much time as possible slinking through the shadows and had had several close calls.  
  
They made it, finally, to the house of a loyal friend of Ramul. His name was Sam, and he, gladly, asked few questions. He was a middle aged, balding man who made a living delivering supplies from Midgar to nearby towns. By a stroke of luck, they found him getting ready to leave with a shipment of medicine and vegetables to the town of Kalm.  
  
He agreed to take them to Kalm hidden in the back of his cargo truck, since he owed Ramul for an earlier time when he had gotten him out of trouble with Shinra. He seemed curious about the talking Shadow, but didn't enquire about him. Within another hour the team found themselves wedged in between crates in the back of his truck, waiting in the lineup to take the Sector 4 exit out of Midgar.  
  
Siro got the worst deal out of all of them, he had barely enough room to breathe wedged firmly between two large crates. Aria was huddled in a corner next to Shadow, who seemed to be having the time of his life rolling around a small piece of lint. Ramul had enough room to lean comfortably against another crate. As they approached the checkpoint, the trucks hidden passengers didn't even breathe (no problem for Siro) for fear of giving away their location.  
  
"Destination?" asked a voice that was obviously the security guard at the gate.  
  
"Kalm," responded the driver, his voice containing enough routine apathy that he didn't sound the least bit suspicious.  
  
"Cargo?" Asked the voice, sounding even more routine then Sam's bored voice.  
  
"Two kilos of potions, one point five kilos antidotes, one kilo hypers, two kilos of tranquilizers and a standard case of eye drops. Also got about ten pounds of mixed vegetables including-"  
  
"So pretty much medicine and vegetables," interrupted the security guard with a hint of fatigue in his voice.  
  
"Yeah, so..." said the driver. "Can I go?"  
  
"Yeah-no wait!" The driver said, remembering something. "Have you seen any suspicious people around here?"  
  
"Aw man," Siro said to himself.  
  
"Everyone's pretty suspicious in sector 4," Sam responded flippantly.  
  
"Well, just so you know," the guard said, importantly. "There is a terrorist group at large in the city, as well as two rebel Shinra members."  
  
"I'll keep my eyes open," said Sam, his voice sounding a bit tenser.  
  
"Settle down, Sam," whispered Ramul. "Just go."  
  
"You do that," said the guard. "Safe travels."  
  
The truck started moving again and the group all gave sighed of relief, except for Shadow, who sort of cocked his head to one side and laid back down.  
  
"Well," Sam called back when they were far enough from the checkpoint. "You can all get comfy now, Kalm's a few hours away.  
  
The team did just that, Ramul sat down where he was and dozed off. Shadow started roaming around and sniffing crates curiously. Siro and Aria stood looking out of the back of the truck, where the flaps had been pulled aside to allow better circulation.  
  
They watched Midgar fade into the distance as the sky started turning pink with the morning.  
  
"Ah," said Aria, stretching. "The air out here is so fresh!"  
  
Siro thought back at how long ago it was when they had both left the city. It was almost a year before; they had gone out to the highlands east of Midgar when he had a week off. Aria seemed so much more alive when she was out of the city; it was like she was blooming like a beautiful flower with the sunshine and the fresh air.  
  
"Siro," Aria had said one morning on that trip. "I don't want to stay in Midgar any longer. I want to get out and see the world."  
  
'She needs to wander,' thought Siro, watching her in the pale light of early morning. 'It's in her blood'.  
  
"Well," said Aria, bringing Siro back to the present. "Look's like I got my wish."  
  
"Yeah," laughed Siro. "You're on an adventure, your old man would be proud."  
  
"Not the best circumstances," said Aria, smiling brightly as the sunrise. "But I'm glad I'm out here."  
  
"Veggies?" Enquired Shadow, sniffing at a small crate. He turned up his nose and padded over to Aria. "When eat?"  
  
"Good idea!" Said Sam. "We'll stop for some breakfast in a jiffy."  
  
"Jiffy?" Asked Siro. "Whatever...."  
  
"Look!" Said Aria happily. She was pointing to the sky, which was now a bright orange with streaks of pink. "It's like the sky is made of gold, see it even shines a bit."  
  
"You're a poet," said Siro, grinning and taking off his helmet again.  
  
"Quiet you," she said, smacking him on the head.  
  
"I was serious," Siro said. "You shouldn't be cooped up long in that city."  
  
"FOOD!" shouted Shadow, jumping up and down.  
  
"Alright already," said Siro. "If you want you can eat Ramul."  
  
"Kay!"  
  
"Kidding!"  
  
"Oh...."  
  
"Besides," Ramul said groggily. "Siro tastes like a hundred times better, he is Mako flavored!"  
  
"Mako?" Shadow looked around.  
  
"Never mind," said Ramul, dropping off again. He had been missing sleep for days; it was almost refreshing for him to escape the town like this. Siro was not far behind, having missed nearly as much sleep as his partner. He leaned lazily against Aria and the tailgate, closing his eyes.  
  
The silence was broken only by the sound of the wheels on the roughly paved road and the whooshing as their truck passed other cars. They stopped without much warning on the side of the road near a small patch of grass under an oddly lively tree (considering that the terrain was actually a wasteland).  
  
"Ahhh, this place is always here," Sam said, opening the tailgate. "It's an anomaly, like one of them oasises."  
  
Shadow jumped out and stretched before promptly chasing after a small lizard into the nearby wasteland.  
  
"Man," said Siro, looking at Shadow as he pranced. "No matter how you slice it he just doesn't seem like a savage animal."  
  
"Maybe he's not," suggested Aria.  
  
"For our sakes I hope he is," said Ramul. "Cause this trip won't be all happy sailing, we could use some help."  
  
"Oh lighten up, Ram," laughed Sam, grabbing a bag of food from the front seat. "It's eatin' time!"  
  
"What about Shadow?" asked Aria. "Wonder what he eats?"  
  
As they would find, Shadow could easily provide for himself. Within ten minutes of everyone sitting down to their meals Shadow returned with his own picnic. It was a grayish wolf, a Kalm Fang. It was very large but Shadow carried it easily by the throat and seemed to be prancing in happy triumph.  
  
"Oh, gods," said Aria, covering her mouth. "Is he going to eat that?"  
  
To answer her question, Shadow pranced up and dropped the bloody wolf onto the grass and gave what had to be a smile to the team.  
  
"Having fun?" asked Siro, blandly.  
  
"There was more of them," said Shadow, nodding matter of factly. "Not much fight though, pansies."  
  
Ramul and Siro started laughing, Aria still looked disgusted by the whole thing, and Sam seemed to have dozed off with a half eaten sandwich in his hand.  
  
"See," said Ramul. "He can fight."  
  
"Where Rufus?" asked Shadow again.  
  
"Rufusland," said Siro, falling back onto the shady grass. "Land of the magical Rufus."  
  
"We go to Rufusland?"  
  
"It was a-I was just," Siro waved his hand in the air. "Never mind."  
  
Shadow looked at him for a second and began to devour the Kalm Fang with much vigor and slobbering. Aria wretched.  
  
"That-" she said. "Is disgusting!"  
  
"I dunno," said Ramul, pensively. "It's almost therapeutic, watching that."  
  
"You are a sick man," said Aria, turning away.  
  
"No," said Siro, sitting up. "I think he's right."  
  
"You are both going to hell..." 


End file.
